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CITY  OF  NEW  YORK 
ADDITIONAL  WATER  SUPPLY 

CATSKILL  AQUEDUCT 

Inauguration  of  Construction 

NEAR  PEEKSKILL,  N.  Y. 

JUNE  20,  1907 


Board  of  Water  Supply 

).  EDWARD  SIMMONS 
CHARLES  N.  CHADWICK 
CHARLES  A.  SHAW 


Commissioners 


LIBRARY  OF  THE 
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COMMISSIONER  CHADWICK  COMMISSIONER  SIMMONS  COMMISSIONER  SHAW 


mayor  McClellan 


Board  of  Water  Supply  of  The  City  of  New  York 


N January  3,  1903,  at  the  request  of  Mayor 
McClellan,  a water  bill  was  introduced  into 
the  Legislature  providing  for  the  appointment 
of  a commission  of  three  and  involving  the 
principles  of  non-partisanship,  home  rule  and 
speed. 


4 


Inasmuch  as  the  bill  named  the  civic  bodies 
from  which  the  commissioners  were  to  be 
selected,  objection  was  raised  on  the  ground 
that  it  was  unconstitutional. 

Accepting  the  amendment  with  the  broadest 
and  most  statesmanlike  conception  of  the 
great  problem  of  the  future  water  supply  for 
New  York  City,  Mayor  McClellan,  at  the 
banquet  tendered  him  by  the  Hamilton  Club 
on  Thursday  evening,  April  6,  1905,  lifted 
the  whole  problem  out  of  the  plane  of  partisan 
politics  into  that  of  a business,  non-partisan 
administration  when  he  emphasized  his  posi- 
tion in  the  following  statement: 


COMMISSIONER  CHADWICK  COMMISSIONER  SIMMONS  COMMISSIONER  SHAW 


mayor  McClellan 


Board  of  W ater  Supply  of  The  City  of  New  York 


N January  3,  1905,  at  the  request  of  Mayor 
McClellan,  a water  bill  was  introduced  into 
the  Legislature  providing  for  the  appointment 
of  a commission  of  three  and  involving  the 
principles  of  non-partisanship,  home  rule  and 
speed. 


4 


Inasmuch  as  the  bill  named  the  civic  bodies 
from  which  the  commissioners  were  to  be 
selected,  objection  was  raised  on  the  ground 
that  it  was  unconstitutional. 

Accepting  the  amendment  with  the  broadest 
and  most  statesmanlike  conception  of  the 
great  problem  of  the  future  water  supply  for 
New  York  City,  Mayor  McClellan,  at  the 
banquet  tendered  him  by  the  Hamilton  Club 
on  Thursday  evening,  April  6,  1905,  lifted 
the  whole  problem  out  of  the  plane  of  partisan 
politics  into  that  of  a business,  non-partisan 
administration  when  he  emphasized  his  posi- 
tion in  the  following  statement : 


Board  of  Water  Supply  of  The  City  of  New  Tork 


“ I promise  with  all  the  sincerity  that  is  in 
me  that  if  the  bill  is  amended  giving  to  the 
Mayor  absolute  and  unqualified  power  of 
appointment  I shall  immediately  on  the  enact- 
ment of  the  bill  call  upon  the  Chamber  of 
Commerce  of  New  York,  the  Board  of  Fire 
Underwriters  and  the  Manufacturers’  Asso- 
ciation for  a list  of  three  names  each,  and 
from  those  names  I shall  appoint  Commissioners, 
one  from  each  list  ; and  should  any  vacancies 
occur  later  during  my  administration,  I shall 
fill  those  vacancies  in  the  same  manner  I shall 
appoint  the  original  commission.  I want  to 
make  a precedent  so  strong  and  establish  a 
tradition  so  binding  that  none  of  my  successors 
can  in  any  circumstances  violate  this  tradition 
or  precedent.” 


Board  of  Water  Supply  of  The  City  of  New  Tork 


HE  bill  became  law,  and  on  June  9,  1905, 
the  Mayor,  in  accordance  with  his  promise, 
appointed  the  Board  of  Water  Supply. 

To  George  B.  McClellan,  Mayor  of  The 
City  of  New  York,  belongs  the  honor  of 
having  secured  the  passage  of  this  measure 
and  the  inauguration  of  the  Catskill  Aqueduct. 


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Catskill  Watersheds  and  country  traversed  by  Catskill  Aqueduct,  showing  the  route  of  the 
Aqueduct  from  Ashokan  Reservoir  to  New  York  City. 


Board  of  Water  Supply  of  The  City  of  New  Tork 


Order  of  the  Day 

THURSDAY,  JUNE  TWENTIETH 

NINETEEN  HUNDRED  AND  SEVEN 


9:00  Steamer  ‘ Albany  ” leaves  Pier  A,  Battery,  North  River. 
1 2:00  Luncheon  on  the  steamer. 

1 :00  Conveyances  leave  Cold  Spring  for  Place  of  Ceremonies. 
1:30  Exercises: 

Program 


Song,  “ Star  Spangled  Banner,” 
Invocation, 

Welcome  and  Address, 

Song,  “ America,” 

Presentation  of  Spade, 

Address  and 

Turning  of  First  Sod, 

Benediction  Prayer, 


B.  W.  S.  Glee  Club. 

Archdeacon  W.  R.  Thomas 
of  Hyde  Park,  New  York. 

Hon.  J.  Edward  Simmons, 
Commissioner  of  the  Board 
of  Water  Supply. 

B.  W.  S.  Glee  Club. 

Hon.  Charles  N.  Chadwick, 
Commissioner  of  the  Board 
of  Water  Supply. 

Hon.  George  B.  McClellan, 
Mayor  of  The  City  of 
New  York. 

Rt.  Rev.  M.  J.  Lavelle, 
Vicar  General  of  the 
Diocese  of  New  York. 


Committee  on  Arrangements, 

Hon.  Charles  A.  Shaw, 
Commissioner  of  the  Board 
of  Water  Supply. 

3:00  Steamer  leaves  for  Storm  King  Crossing. 

6:30  Due  at  Pier  A,  Battery,  North  River. 


Board  of  Water  Supply  of  The  City  of  New  York 


CITY  OFFICIALS  CONNECTED  WITH  THE  WORK 

george  b.  McClellan 

Mayor  of  The  City  of  New  York 

Board  of  Water  Supply 

Commissioners 

J.  EDWARD  SIMMONS  CHARLES  N.  CHADWICK  CHARLES  A.  SHAW 

THOMAS  HASSETT,  Secretary 
J.  WALDO  SMITH,  Chief  Engineer 
Consulting  Engineers 

JOHN  R.  FREEMAN  WILLIAM  H.  BURR  FREDERIC  P.  STEARNS 

Department  Engineers 

ALFRED  D.  FLINN  ROBERT  RIDGWAY 

CARLETON  E.  DAVIS  MERRITT  H.  SMITH 

Corporation  Counsel 

WILLIAM  B.  ELLISON 

Assistants  to  the  Corporation  Counsel 
GEORGE  L.  STERLING  JOHN  L.  O’BRIEN 

Board  of  Estimate  and  Apportionment 

GEORGE  B.  McCLELLAN,  Mayor  HERMAN  A.  METZ,  Comptroller 

PATRICK  F.  McGOWAN  JOHN  F.  AHEARN  BIRD  S.  COLER 

LOUIS  F.  HAFFEN  JOSEPH  BERMEL  GEORGE  CROMWELL 

NELSON  P.  LEWIS,  Chief  Engineer  JOSEPH  HAAG,  Secretary 

Municipal  Civil  Service  Commission 

WILLIAM  F.  BAKER  R.  ROSS  APPLETON  ALFRED  J.  TALLEY 

FRANK  A.  SPENCER,  Secretary 


[9] 


CATSKILL  AQUEDUCT.  Full  size  concrete  model  of  Aqueduct  as  it  will  be  built  in  trench. 


Board  of  Water  Supply  of  The  City  of  New  Tork 


Chronology  of  Catskill  Aqueduct 

June  9,  1905 — Hon.  George  B.  McClellan,  Mayor,  appointed  J. 

Edward  Simmons,  Charles  N.  Chadwick  and  Charles  A.  Shaw, 
Commissioners  to  constitute  the  Board  of  Water  Supply  of  The 
City  of  New  York. 

June  20,  1905 — Plan  for  organization  of  Engineering  Bureau  adopted. 

July  7,  1905 — John  R.  Freeman  was  appointed  Consulting  Engineer. 

August  1 , 1905 — J.  Waldo  Smith,  Chief  Engineer,  one  Division  Engineer 
and  several  members  of  Administration  Bureau  reported  for  duty. 

August  8,  1 905 — William  H.  Burr  and  Frederic  P.  Stearns  were 
appointed  Consulting  Engineers. 

August  9,  1905— Board  of  Water  Supply  passed  resolution  directing 
general  plan  for  securing  an  additional  supply  of  water  from  the 
Catskill  Mountain  district,  and  directed  Chief  Engineer  to  submit 
plans,  maps,  and  profiles. 

October  9,  1905 — Board  of  Water  Supply  made  report  to  Board  of 
Estimate  and  Apportionment,  submitting  scheme  for  obtaining 
water  from  Catskill  sources,  with  map. 

October  27,  1905  — Report  adopted  unanimously  by  Board  of  Esti- 

mate and  Apportionment. 

November  3,  1905 — Board  of  Water  Supply  filed  application  of  The 
City  of  New  York  in  office  of  State  Water  Supply  Commission 
at  Albany. 

March  1,  1906 — Contract  No.  1,  for  preliminary  surveys,  signed. 

May  18,  1906 — Favorable  decision  by  State  Water  Supply  Commission. 

April  10,  1907 — First  contract  for  construction,  covering  about  11 
miles  of  the  Catskill  aqueduct,  signed. 


ASHOKAN  RESERVOIR.  View  of  the  great  basin,  looking  northeasterly  toward  Overlook  Mountain.  The  houses  in  the  center  of  picture  are 

on  the  highest  point  to  be  flooded,  590  feet  above  sea  level. 


Board  of  Water  Supply  of  The  City  of  New  York 


The  Problem 

IMMEDIATELY  after  appointment,  the  Board  of 
Water  Supply  organized  with  J.  Edward  Simmons, 
^ as  President,  and  Charles  N.  Chadwick,  as 
Secretary.  A city  of  four  million  inhabitants 
had  practically  reached  the  limits  of  its  resources 
for  water,  and  the  Board  was  faced  by  a large 
and  involved  problem.  Numerous  administra- 
tions had  contributed  to  its  solution ; report 
upon  report  had  increased  encyclopedic  knowl- 
edge of  the  subject ; a vast  amount  of  wisdom 
had  been  evolved,  but  it  remained  to  reduce 
that  knowledge  and  wisdom  to  practice,  and 
to  secure  continuity  of  plan  and  of  adminis- 
tration in  execution.  The  means  were  provided 
by  Chapter  724  of  the  Laws  of  1905.  The 
task,  then,  for  the  Board  of  Water  Supply, 
was  the  determination  of  sources  of  supply 
from  which  water  was  to  be  taken ; the 
creation  of  a colossal  organization  to  carry  on 
the  work ; the  location  of  its  main  office  and 
field  offices,  and  the  thousand  and  one  details 
involved  in  establishing  that  great  business  enter- 
prise whose  aim  and  end  is  to  satisfy  the  need 
for  water  of  the  five  Boroughs  of  Greater  New 
York  by  the  delivery  of  an  additional  500  to 
600  million  gallons  daily. 


[ 13] 


ASHOKAN  RESERVOIR.  $ite  of  Olive  Bridge  Dam  showing  solid  rock  foundation  in  the  gorge  of  Esopus  Creek. 


Board  of  Water  Supply  of  The  City  of  New  Tork 


Organization  of  Forces 

A plan  of  organization  and  procedure  was  adopted  by  which  the  forces 
of  the  Board  were  at  the  start  divided  into  two  bureaus,  the  Adminis- 
tration and  the  Engineering.  Later  a department  was  added  to  deal 
with  damages  and  the  acquirement  of  property  by  agreement. 

To  provide  for  the  proper  classification  of  the  expenditure  of  the 
enormous  sum  involved,  and  to  properly  account  for  every  cent  by 
means  of  a correct  system  of  bookkeeping,  was  in  itself  no  small  task. 
The  organization  of  the  Administration  Bureau  has  been  so  systematized 
that  the  Commissioners  can  know  each  day  every  detail  and  item  of 
expense  as  the  work  increases  and  expands. 

The  scheme  of  organization  of  the  Engineering  Bureau  comprises  a 
Chief  Engineer,  three  Consulting  Engineers,  and  six  great  departments. 

Headquarters  Department  has  charge  of  design,  the  general  adminis- 
tration of  the  Bureau,  Civil  Service  matters,  and  distribution  of  water 
to  the  five  Boroughs.  Reservoir  Department  is  charged  with  surveys 
and  construction  in  the  Catskill  Mountain  watersheds.  To  Northern 
Aqueduct  Department  is  committed  surveys  and  construction  for  the 
portion  of  the  Catskill  aqueduct  between  Ashokan  reservoir  and  Croton 
watershed,  with  branch  aqueducts  from  Rondout  to  Catskill  creeks. 
Southern  Aqueduct  Department  has  charge  of  the  remainder  of  Catskill 
aqueduct,  and  of  reservoirs  at  Kensico  and  Hill  View.  Long  Island 
Department  is  conducting  surveys  relating  to  the  development  of  ground 
and  surface  waters  in  Suffolk  County,  so  that  this  water  may  be  utilized 
if  present  restrictions  can  be  removed.  Later  a Filtration  Department 
will  be  established  to  build  a great  filter  plant  near  White  Plains  and 
have  in  charge  works  for  the  protection  and  improvement  of  the  quality 
of  the  water. 

Catskill  Mountain  Water  System 

The  Catskill  Mountain  water  system  will  be  the  most  extensive  ever 
undertaken  by  one  municipality.  From  the  far  limits  of  the  gathering 
grounds,  some  of  the  water  will  have  to  flow  1 30  miles  to  reach  City 
Hall,  New  York,  and  20  miles  farther  to  the  southern  extremity  of 
Staten  Island.  Four  creeks,  Esopus,  Rondout,  Schoharie  and  Catskill, 
will  constitute  the  main  sources  of  supply.  The  total  area  of  all  the 
watersheds  is  over  900  square  miles,  and  their  combined  supply,  when 
fully  developed,  will  exceed  800  million  gallons  daily.  Works  now 
projected  will  have  sufficient  capacity  to  bring  to  the  City  each  day 
not  less  than  500  million  gallons. 

[ 14] 


[ 15] 


CATSKILL  AQUEDUCT.  The  beautiful  Valley  of  Sprout  Brook,  which  will  be  crossed  by  large  steel  pipes  laid  in  trenches. 


Board  of  Water  Supply  of  The  City  of  New  York 


Principal  Features 

The  main  features  are  a principal  impounding  reservoir,  the  Ashokan, 
the  Kensico  storage  reservoir,  a filtration  plant  much  larger  than  any  yet 
built,  Hill  View  distribution  reservoir,  and  the  Catskill  aqueduct,  about 
80  miles  in  length. 

Olive  Bridge  dam,  220  feet  high,  across  Esopus  creek,  will,  with 
other  dams  and  dikes,  form  Ashokan  reservoir,  1 2 miles  long  and  2 
miles  wide,  to  impound  1 20  billion  gallons.  Besides  the  waters  of  the 
Esopus,  this  reservoir  will  receive  those  diverted  from  Schoharie  creek 
by  a ten -mile  tunnel  through  the  mountains,  and  from  Catskill  creek 
and  adjacent  small  watersheds  through  another  aqueduct. 

Catskill  aqueduct,  supplied  from  Ashokan  reservoir,  will  deliver  the 
water,  without  pumping,  to  Hill  View  reservoir  in  Yonkers,  high 
enough  for  gravity  distribution  throughout  Greater  New  York. 

Wherever  the  water  flows  at  hydraulic  grade,  the  aqueduct  will  be 
constructed  of  concrete,  with  a waterway  of  the  shape  shown.  Where 
it  is  necessary  to  cross  those  deep  glacial  gorges  barely  indicated  at 
present  by  the  small  channels  of  such  streams  as  Rondout  and  Moodna 
creeks,  tunnels  will  be  driven  in  solid  rock  far  below  the  surface  of  the 
ground  and  lined  with  thick  concrete,  within  which  the  water  will 
flow  under  pressure.  At  the  northerly  end  of  each  pressure  tunnel 
the  water  will  drop  down  a deep  shaft  and  at  the  southerly  end  will 
rise  again  in  a similar  shaft.  The  most  difficult  crossing  anticipated  is 
that  of  the  Hudson  at  Storm  King,  where  the  river  is  2,800  feet 

wide.  While  there  are  but  90  feet  of  water,  solid  rock  is  probably 

not  encountered  at  a less  depth  than  600  feet.  Hence  each  leg  of 
the  inverted  siphon  may  reach  a depth  of  over  1 ,000  feet,  since  the 
natural  level  of  the  water  in  the  aqueduct  here  is  about  400  feet 
above  the  river  surface. 

The  City’s  Need  of  Water 

The  population  of  the  Greater  City  to-day  approximates  4,300,000. 
The  total  consumption  of  water  is  500  million  gallons  per  diem,  of 
which  the  Croton  system  when  completely  developed  in  1910  can  be 
relied  upon  to  furnish  only  325,000,000.  At  the  end  of  1915, 

the  population  of  Greater  New  York  is  estimated  at  5,260,000  and  its 
water  consumption  at  710  million  gallons  or  250  million  above  the 

present  available  supply.  In  1930  the  population  will  have  increased 
to  almost  7,000,000  and  consumption  to  over  1 ,000  million  gallons  daily. 

[ 16] 


[ 17] 


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Board  of  Water  Supply  of  The  City  of  New  York 


Cost  of  the  Works 

The  cost  of  the  Catskill  works  included  in  the  present  project,  for 
supplying  soft  filtered  water  at  high  pressure  by  gravity  to  all  Boroughs 
is  estimated  at  $162,000,000.  Great  as  will  be  the  cost  of  these 
works,  it  will  not  be  a heavy  burden  per  capita.  By  the  lime  the 
City  is  enjoying  the  full  benefit  of  the  new  supplies,  its  population  will 
probably  have  reached  7,000,000.  Twenty-five  yearly  payments  of 
90  cents  per  person  would  defray  the  cost  of  building  these  great 
works  to  provide  water  for  private,  manufacturing  and  public  uses  at  the 
rate  of  150  gallons  for  each  person,  each  day.  But  experience  has 
shown  that  the  water  works  of  large  cities,  if  reasonable  rates  are 
charged  for  water,  have  sufficient  earning  capacity  to  pay  for  their 
operation  and  the  investment  for  construction,  so  that  the  City  practi- 
cally lends  only  its  credit  for  the  construction  of  the  work. 

The  cost  of  the  Croton  system,  supplying  325  million  gallons  of  un- 
filtered water  to  the  Borough  of  Manhattan  and  part  of  The  Bronx, 
will  approximate  $90,000,000. 

Progress  to  Date 

Hundreds  of  miles  of  topographic  and  property  surveys  have  been 
made,  and  innumerable  holes  drilled  into  the  earth  and  solid  rock  to 
determine  the  best  and  most  economical  locations  for  the  great  reservoirs, 
dams  and  aqueducts.  Samples  of  soil,  sand,  gravel  and  stone,  as  well 
as  of  rock  by  core  borings,  have  been  obtained.  The  data  thus  se- 
cured has  been  passed  upon  by  the  most  distinguished  experts  of  the 
country — engineers,  geologists,  chemists,  specialists  in  aeration,  in  filtration 
and  in  the  preparation  of  reservoirs ; also  by  experts  in  mechanical  con- 
struction and  in  the  location  of  railroads  and  highways. 

The  acquiring  of  property,  involving  the  removal  of  villages,  churches, 
schools  and  homes,  the  relocation  of  highways  and  railroads  and  the 
investigation  of  thousands  of  titles,  is  still  another  part  of  the  great 
problem  which  is  being  worked  out  through  agreement  with  owners 
and  by  condemnation  proceedings  under  Commissioners  of  Appraisal 
already  appointed. 

Thus  the  stage  of  organization,  surveys  and  acquiring  data  is  well 
advanced,  and  these  inaugural  ceremonies  mark  the  beginning  of 
systematized  constructive  work. 


[ 18  ] 


[ 19] 


KENSICO  RESERVOIR.  A new  dam  will  be  built  at  this  site  which  will  raise  the  water  level  over  100  feet,  completely  submerging  dam  shown. 


Board  of  Water  Supply  of  The  City  of  New  Tork 


Conditions  Needed  for  Success 


HE  success  of  this  work  is  conditioned  upon  the 
intelligent  co-operation  and  systematic  sup- 
port of  the  Board  of  Water  Supply  by  the 
Great  Departments  of  The  City  of  New 
York — the  offices  of  the  Mayor,  Comptroller, 
and  Corporation  Counsel,  the  Board  of 
Estimate  and  Apportionment,  and  the 
Municipal  Civil  Service  Commission. 


[20] 


ASHOKAN  RESERVOIR,  OLIVE  BRIDGE  DAM. 


Section  of  masonry  dam  in  the  gorge  of  Esopus  Creek,  where  it  has  its  maximum  height 
of  about  220  feet,  with  foundation  on  bed  rock. 


[21  ] 


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[22  ] 


CATSKILL  AQUEDUCT.  Ordinary  construction  of  Aqueduct  in  earth  trenches  along  hillsides,  covered  with  earth  embankment. 


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[23] 


CATSKILL  AQUEDUCT.  TWO  TYPES  OF  TUNNEL  CONSTRUCTION 


[24] 


Board  of  Water  Supply  of  The  City  of  New  York 


The  Ceremonies  of  Inauguration 

In  response  to  formal  invitations,  more  than  360  guests  of  the  Board 
of  Water  Supply  boarded  the  steamer  “Albany”  of  the  Hudson  River 
Day  Line,  at  Pier  A,  North  River,  New  York,  on  the  morning  of 
June  20,  1907.  The  steamer,  appropriately  decorated  with  the  National 
and  City  flags  and  the  ensigns  of  the  Mayor  and  of  the  Board  of 
Water  Supply,  cast  off  about  10:00  A.  M.,  amidst  the  playing  streams 
of  municipal  fire  boats  and  salutations  from  other  craft.  The  “Albany’s  ” 
middle  deck  was  hung  with  large  photographs  showing  the  sites  of 
important  parts  of  the  Catskill  water  works ; maps  showing  the  locations 
of  the  works ; and  diagrams  depicting  the  problems  being  solved,  the 
City’s  urgent  need  of  water,  and  the  organization  of  the  Board’s  forces. 
On  the  lower  deck,  tables  were  spread  to  accommodate  the  guests 
at  luncheon  during  the  noon  hour.  Fine  weather  contributed  to  the 
enjoyment  of  the  sail  up  the  scenic  Hudson,  and  the  landing  at  Cold 
Spring  was  made  about  1 :00  o’clock. 

By  automobiles  and  carriages  the  party  was  thence  conveyed  to  the 

spot  selected  for  the  ceremonies,  near  Indian  brook  and  Garrison  road, 
in  Phillipstown,  Putnam  county,  about  midway  between  the  villages  of 
Cold  Spring  and  Garrison.  This  plot  of  ground  was  the  first  acquired 
by  the  Board  of  Water  Supply,  and  was  secured  by  purchase  under 
direct  agreement  with  the  owner  instead  of  by  condemnation  proceedings. 
This  land  was  bought  of  Henry  F.  Newell,  and  had  been  in  the 

possession  of  his  family  since  1864. 

On  the  easterly  side  of  Indian  brook  valley,  where  it  slopes  steeply 
toward  the  west,  a few  hundred  feet  from  the  highway,  a speakers’ 
stand,  draped  in  the  national  colors,  and  benches  for  the  guests  had 
been  built.  Upon  the  speakers’  stand  were  seated  the  Commissioners 
of  the  Board  of  Water  Supply  with  their  Chief  and  Consulting  Engineers, 
Mayor  McClellan,  Comptroller  Metz,  Archdeacon  W.  R.  Thomas,  of 
Hyde  Park,  New  York,  The  Right  Reverend  M.  J.  Lavelle,  Vicar 
General  of  the  Diocese  of  New  York,  and  officials  and  guests. 
On  the  seats  and  grass  before  the  speakers  were  gathered  about 

1000  persons,  the  party  from  New  York  City  having  been  largely 

augmented  by  people  from  the  surrounding  towns  and  summer  villas. 
At  a signal  from  Commissioner  Shaw,  the  national  flag  was  unfurled  from 


Board  of  Water  Supply  of  The  City  of  New  York 


a flagstaff  near  the  speakers’  stand,  while  the  Board  of  Water  Supply 
Glee  Club  sang  “The  Star  Spangled  Banner.”  The  programme  of 
exercises,  as  printed  on  another  page,  was  carried  out.  When  the 
appropriate  time  had  come,  the  Mayor  descended  from  the  speakers’ 
stand,  and,  at  a designated  spot  on  the  center  line  of  the  Catskill 
aqueduct,  to  be  marked  later  by  a bronze  tablet,  turned  the  first  sod, 
proclaiming : “Now  I,  as  Mayor,  in  the  name  of  The  People  of  The 
City  of  New  York,  do  declare  this  work  begun.”  The  addresses  are 
printed  elsewhere  in  this  pamphlet. 

The  spade  presented  by  the  Commissioners  of  the  Board  of  Water 
Supply  to  the  Mayor,  as  a souvenir  of  the  inauguration  of  construction 
of  the  greatest  system  of  municipal  water  works,  was  specially  designed 
by  Tiffany.  Its  mahogany  handle  was  fashioned  to  represent  a cross- 
section  of  the  Catskill  aqueduct,  and  its  etched  steel  shank  and  blade 
were  heavily  mounted  and  inlaid  with  silver.  It  bore  the  following 
inscriptions : 


“WITH  THIS  SPADE 
THE  FIRST  SOD  WAS  TURNED 

by 

george  b.  McClellan, 

The  Mayor.” 


“ Presented  to 

george  b.  McClellan 

Mayor  of  The  City  of  New  York 
by  the 

Commissioners  of  the  Board  of  Water  Supply, 
J.  Edward  Simmons, 

Charles  N.  Chadwick, 

Charles  A.  Shaw, 

At  the  Inauguration 
of  the 

Construction  of  the  Catskill  Water  Works, 
On  the  line  of  the  Aqueduct, 

Near  Peekskill,  N.  Y., 

June  20,  1907.” 


SPADE  PRESENTED  TO  MAYOR  McCLELLAN 


Board  of  Water  Supply  of  The  City  of  New  York 


When  the  Mayor  had  turned  the  sod  with  this  spade  and  the  bene- 
diction had  been  pronounced,  the  party  from  New  York  City  returned 
in  the  automobiles  and  carriages  to  the  steamer. 

Upon  re-embarkation,  the  “Albany”  steamed  up  the  Hudson,  past 
Storm  King,  into  Newburg  bay,  and,  circling  about,  began  the  home- 
ward voyage.  This  afforded  the  guests  an  opportunity  to  see  the 
drilling  machines  anchored  in  the  Hudson  river,  engaged  upon  explora- 
tions to  determine  the  depth  and  character  of  the  bed  rock  beneath 
the  river,  as  well  as  views  of  the  two  exploration  shafts  being  sunk, 
one  on  Storm  King  shore,  and  the  other,  on  the  easterly  shore,  at  the 
foot  of  Breakneck  mountain.  Here  it  is  expected  that  the  aqueduct 
will  cross  the  river  in  a deep  tunnel  in  solid  rock,  with  connecting 
tunnels  through  the  mountains  on  either  side.  On  the  homeward  sail 
a simple  supper  was  served  and  the  hours  were  enlivened  by  the  songs 
of  the  Glee  Club.  A landing  was  made  at  the  1 29th  street  pier 
about  8:00  o’clock;  another  landing  at  42d  street,  about  8:30,  and 
the  “Albany  ” put  into  Pier  A about  9:00  o’clock.  Thus  ended  the 
simple  and  dignified  inaugural  of  one  of  the  greatest  municipal  enter- 
prises, “begun  in  honesty,  and,  God  willing,  completed  in  honesty”. 


Board  of  Water  Supply  of  The  City  of  New  York 


Invocation. 

ARCHDEACON  W.  R.  THOMAS. 


* 

Direct  us,  O Lord,  in  all  our  doings,  with  Thy  most  gracious  favor, 
and  further  us  with  Thy  continual  help ; that  in  all  our  works  begun, 
continued  and  ended  in  Thee,  we  may  glorify  Thy  Holy  Name,  and, 
finally,  by  Thy  mercy,  obtain  everlasting  life ; through  Jesus  Christ  our 
Lord.  Amen. 

* 

O Eternal  God,  without  whom  nothing  is  strong,  nothing  is  holy, 
bless  the  constructive  work  here  inaugurated  this  day.  Be  with  those 
who  design,  and  those  who  superintend  so  great  an  undertaking. 
Guard  also  the  workmen  that  shall  be  employed  thereon.  Especially 
we  invoke  Thy  guidance  and  blessing  upon  the  Mayor  of  The  City 
of  New  York,  the  Board  of  Water  Supply,  and  the  Municipal 
Departments  co-operating. 

We  render  thanks  unto  Thee,  our  Heavenly  Father,  for  putting  it 
into  the  minds  of  Thy  children,  thus  to  plan  and  begin  a work  that 
shall  bring  refreshment  and  strength  to  millions  of  Thy  creatures,  in 
the  not  distant  future,  and  through  successive  generations. 

As  they  drink  from  streams  of  the  mountains,  may  they  never  grow 
unmindful  of  the  Giver  of  all  good,  and  of  the  River  of  the  Water 
of  Life,  clear  as  crystal,  proceeding  out  of  the  throne  of  God  and 
of  the  Lamb. 

For  this  and  all  Thy  mercies,  may  Thy  children,  O God,  carry  grate- 
ful hearts,  and  show  forth  their  thankfulness  by  honoring  Thee,  their 
Divine  Benefactor,  and  by  doing  good  and  honest  service  to  their 
fellow  men  in  the  varied  walks  of  life  and  labor,  all  which  we  ask  in 
the  name  and  for  the  merit  of  Jesus  Christ  our  Blessed  Lord  and 
Saviour.  Amen. 


* 

[29] 


Board  of  Water  Supply  of  The  City  of  New  Tork 


ADDRESS 

delivered  by 

J.  EDWARD  SIMMONS 

President  of  the  Board  of  Water  Supply 

Fellow  Citizens  : 

In  behalf  of  the  Board  of  Water  Supply,  I extend  to  you  a cordial 
greeting  and  I bid  you  welcome  to  the  ceremonies  incident  to  “Turning 
the  First  Sod”  by  his  Honor,  the  Mayor  of  The  City  of  New  York, 
which  marks  the  beginning  of  the  construction  of  the  Catskill  aqueduct. 

Under  the  shadow  of  the  mighty  Storm  King,  and  on  the  banks  of  a 
broad  and  beautiful  river  whose  shores,  highlands,  and  peaks  serve  to 
remind  us  of  the  heroic  deeds  of  our  Revolutionary  patriots,  we  have 
assembled  to  celebrate  an  event  full  of  joy,  full  of  significance  and 
promise  to  those  who  adequately  appreciate  the  occasion. 

We  have  come  to  assist  at  the  beginning  of  a vast  structure,  a structure 
so  vast  that,  by  comparison,  it  will  challenge  the  mightiest  public  under- 
takings of  both  ancient  and  modern  times. 

The  works  attributed  to  the  mythical  giants  of  the  past  were  character- 
ized by  size  and  strength,  and  they  invariably  suggested  force  and 
might.  On  this  spot  we  peacefully  commence  to-day  a structure  which, 
in  size  and  strength,  will  far  exceed  the  mythical  proportions  suggested 
by  the  works  of  the  Cyclops  of  ancient  story,  whose  massive  walls  will 
be  dwarfed  by  comparison  with  the  huge  dam  at  Olive  Bridge,  which  will 
rise  a sheer  two  hundred  and  twenty  feet  from  its  base,  and  will  enable 
the  American  engineers  to  laugh  to  scorn  the  historic  proportions  of  the 
Babylonian  wall  of  Semiramis. 


[31  ] 


WELCOME  AND  ADDRESS- COMMISSIONER  SIMMONS. 


Board  of  Water  Supply  of  The  City  of  New  Tork 


The  great  reservoirs  and  aqueducts  of  Rome  have  been  the  wonder 
of  mankind  through  twenty  centuries.  Ashokan  Reservoir  — twelve 
miles  long  and  two  miles  wide,  with  a water  surface  of  ten  thousand 
acres  and  a capacity  of  one  hundred  and  twenty  billion  gallons — will 
exceed  in  size  anything  of  its  kind  in  the  world  s history.  The  Catskill 
aqueduct  will  be  large  enough  to  accommodate  an  ordinary  railroad 
train  and  it  will  pale  into  insignificance  the  famous  aqueducts  of  the 
Imperial  City  because  it  will  carry  thirty  times  as  much  water  as  all 
the  aqueducts  of  Rome  combined. 

Modern  imagination  has  often  sought  to  picture  the  army  of  captives 
and  slaves  who  were  forced  by  fear  of  the  lash  to  rear  the  huge 
Egyptian  Pyramids.  The  Commissioners  of  the  Board  of  Water 
Supply,  assisted  by  more  than  half  a hundred  engineers  and  designers, 
and  many  more  officers  and  officials,  have  framed  the  plan  which  will 
now  direct  a mighty  army  of  liberty-loving  American  freemen  who  will 
voluntarily  carry  this  stupendous  work  into  execution,  and  leave  to  their 
children  the  proud  boast,  “We,  too,  had  a share  in  building  the  great 
water  works  of  the  metropolis.” 

The  world  wonders  of  antiquity  rose  aloft  to  heaven,  and  men  of  to- 
day boast,  with  good  reason,  of  cloud-piercing  spires  and  of  towering 
bridges  which  span  mighty  streams ; but  the  work  we  begin  on  this 
auspicious  occasion  will  struggle  no  less  with  the  depths  of  the  earth. 
Only  a short  distance  from  where  we  stand,  a huge  tunnel  will  carry 
six  hundred  million  gallons  of  water  daily,  to  a depth  of  more  than  six 
hundred  feet,  deeper  than  the  Pyramids  are  high,  and  then  harnessing 
the  giant  powers  of  nature  to  this  enormous  mass  of  water,  will  raise  it, 
as  the  boy  toys  with  the  ball,  and  send  it  rejoicing  on  its  way  to  the 
metropolis.  Our  aqueduct  will  have  at  least  three  immense  underground 
bridges  from  bank  to  bank  of  the  North  and  East  Rivers,  and  under 
Long  Island  Sound,  thus  making  three  more  strong  links  in  the  munici- 
pal chain  between  Manhattan  and  Brooklyn,  between  Brooklyn  and 
Richmond.  The  men  who  will  accomplish  these  wonders  do  not 
impress  us  as  giants  of  material  force,  but  as  giants  of  the  mind,  men 
who  harness  nature’s  gigantic  energies  to  the  service  of  mankind  and 
make  gravity  man’s  handmaid,  and  the  untamed  forces  of  the  cloud  and 
the  thunderbolt  his  assistants. 

The  Board  of  Water  Supply  have  called  to  their  aid  skilled  specialists 
in  every  branch  of  approved  modern  science.  They  have  asked  the 


Board  of  Water  Supply  of  The  City  of  New  York 


surveyor  and  the  geometrician  to  determine  grades  and  directions;  they 
have  summoned  geologists  to  guard  against  hidden  dangers  that  lurk  in 
the  bowels  of  the  earth;  they  have  bidden  the  chemist  that  he  might 
banish  from  construction  all  the  concealed  agents  of  death  and  disaster, 
and  they  have  directed  the  engineer,  the  mechanic,  and  the  ironworker, 
whatever  his  specialty,  to  examine  every  problem  and  to  foresee  every 
possibility.  Having  thus  consulted  the  Oracle  of  Modern  Science,  having 
determined  the  route  and  the  chosen  methods,  when,  in  a few  years, 
this  intricate  water  project  will  have  become  a fact,  it  is  certain  to 
stand  as  a colossal  monument  to  the  achievements  of  modern  science 
and  intellect. 

But  we  must  not  forget  that  behind  the  gigantic  material  force  here  to 
be  employed,  behind  the  dazzling  power  of  intelligence  here  to  be  dis- 
played, the  true  and  animating  cause  of  all  this  magnificent  creation  is 
that  which  is  most  human — its  patriotic  and  beneficent  purpose,  its  lofty 
ambition  to  serve  mankind,  its  definite  aim  to  make  secure  the  health 
and  prosperity  of  those  who  dwell  in  our  great  city. 

Indeed,  if  we  study  the  origin  and  the  conduct  of  this  mighty  project, 
who  can  fail  to  see  that  it  is  a genuine  offspring  of  the  American 
system  of  government,  that  the  sermon  to  be  read  in  these  stones  will 
declare  in  truth  that  this  is  a creation  of  government  by  the  people  for 
the  people. 

By  act  of  the  Legislature  a Board  of  Water  Supply  was  created,  with 
authority  to  call  upon  the  people  of  the  City  of  New  York  to  appro- 
priate the  sum  necessary  to  obtain  an  abundant  supply  of  pure  and 
wholesome  water  to  meet  the  prospective  needs  of  the  rapidly  growing 
multiple  city  at  the  mouth  of  the  Hudson  river.  The  taxes  to  be 
levied,  as  was  foretold,  will  aggregate  at  least  one  hundred  and  sixty-one 
millions  of  dollars.  Though  the  burden  imposed  was  immense,  though 
the  sums  involved  would  have  bewildered  the  imagination  of  our  fore- 
fathers, yet  not  a word  of  protest,  not  a word  of  criticism,  was  heard 
from  the  intelligent  citizens  who  recognized  the  need  for  this  important 
undertaking. 

Why  is  it  that  the  great  American  Republic  offers  this  astonishing 
spectacle?  Why  is  it  that  we  may  proudly  point  to  eighty  millions  of 
American  freemen  loyally  obedient  to  the  laws  of  their  country  ? Why 
do  four  millions  of  Americans,  who  compose  the  greatest  municipality  of 


Board  of  Water  Supply  of  The  City  of  New  Tork 


the  New  World,  contribute,  without  a murmur,  all  the  treasure  required 
for  this  gigantic  enterprise  ? The  answer  comes  spontaneously  to  our 
lips.  It  has  been  demanded  and  ordered  by  the  people  for  the  people. 
The  members  of  the  Legislature,  through  whose  act  this  work  is  coming 
into  being,  are  simply  the  representatives  of  the  people,  and  their  law 
has  expressed  the  known  will  of  the  people.  It  embodies  the  demands 
of  the  municipal  government  of  New  York,  headed  by  its  Mayor.  It 
was  the  legislative  response  to  numerous  petitions  setting  forth  the  wishes 
of  the  foremost  citizens  of  New  York.  It  was  the  reply  to  a general 
demand  of  all  the  inhabitants  as  voiced  in  the  powerful  metropolitan 
press.  Essentially,  therefore,  it  was  the  law  of  the  people ; the  people 
received  it  with  acclaim,  and  the  people  obeyed  the  law  with  alacrity. 

And  thus  again  the  monumental  structures  whose  building  we  celebrate 
to-day  repeat  the  old,  old  lesson,  “ Vox  populi,  Vox  Dei.”  Let  our 
legislators  listen  and  obey  the  voice  of  the  people.  Let  them  not  ex- 
haust their  ingenuity  in  making  laws  suggested  by  selfishness  and  cor- 
ruption, by  the  itching  palm,  by  the  greedy  corporation,  by  the 
unscrupulous  millionaire,  by  the  monopolistic  trust,  or  by  the  never-sated 
politician. 

Surely  it  must  be  conceded  that  those  intrusted  with  the  construction  of 
this  new  water-supply  system,  as  honest  servants  of  the  people,  have 
certainly  acted  with  both  diligence  and  expedition.  The  law,  as  passed, 
was  signed  by  the  Governor  on  the  third  day  of  June,  1905.  On 
the  ninth  day  of  the  same  month  the  Mayor  appointed  the  Commission. 
Two  months  after,  the  Commissioners,  having  made  a careful  examina- 
tion of  all  possible  routes,  and  having  consulted  the  most  distinguished 
and  competent  engineers  the  country  could  afford,  finally  decided  that 
the  Catskill  plan  was  the  most  feasible.  On  October  9,  exactly  four 
months  after  the  Board  of  Water  Supply  was  appointed,  they  submitted 
to  the  Board  of  Estimate  for  their  approval  a report  setting  forth  the 
complete  plan  of  the  undertaking.  Forthwith  they  organized  a force  of 
accountants  to  record  the  expenditures  of  the  complicated  business  to 
be  started.  Carefully  and  expeditiously  they  selected  the  engineers 
destined  to  work  out  the  technical  side  of  the  enterprise.  With  dis- 
cretion and  prudence  they  recruited  well-nigh  six  hundred  men  of 
science,  who  are  to  execute  the  details  of  the  scheme.  To-day  all  this 
preparatory  work  is  substantially  finished.  To-day,  a little  more  than 
two  years  after  the  passage  of  the  law,  this  Commission  has  matured 


Board  of  Water  Supply  of  The  City  of  New  York 


the  plan  to  the  point  of  initiating  its  material  execution.  The  spade 
lies  ready  and  the  first  sod  will  soon  he  turned.  With  speed  and 
energy,  with  intelligence  and  caution,  with  honesty  and  thrift,  under  the 
watchful  eye  of  civic  wisdom  and  the  fostering  care  of  far-sighted 
science,  the  project  starts  into  life  a model  for  all  similar  undertak- 
ings, an  example  and  an  inspiration  for  all  public  servants  who  desire 
to  fulfill  their  public  duties  faithfully,  swiftly,  and  conscientiously. 

Beyond  all  this,  the  work  we  inaugurate  to-day  serves  to  illustrate  the 
dominating  characteristic  of  our  Republic.  The  mainspring  of  public 
energy  in  our  Commonwealth  is  the  good  of  the  governed.  Taken  as 
a whole,  the  rulers  and  the  ruled  are  the  same.  But,  especially  as 
individual  citizens,  it  is  the  duty  of  each  one  of  us  to  strive  and  labor 
for  the  welfare  of  each  other  and  for  us  all.  The  great  moving  power, 
therefore,  should  be  benevolence,  the  desire  to  contribute  to  the  hap- 
piness of  every  man,  who  as  son  of  a common  fatherland  is  our  fellow 
citizen,  and  as  the  child  of  a common  humanity  is  our  brother.  As 
the  great  Father  of  us  all  provides  the  sunlight  and  the  blue  sky,  the 
gentle  dew  of  heaven,  and  the  life-giving  offspring  of  mother  earth  for 
all  His  children,  so  the  true  citizen  of  our  Republic,  especially  in  his 
official  capacity,  strives  ever  to  secure  the  interests  and  the  ^happiness  of 
all  his  fellow  citizens. 

After  all  is  said  and  done,  we  must  confess  that  the  great  motive 

power  of  the  world  is  neither  the  steam  engine  nor  the  electric  machine, 
not  even  the  all  too  highly  valued  power  of  Mammon.  It  is  the 

power  of  love  and  brotherhood  guided  by  the  power  of  right.  It  is 
this  which  binds  together  in  one  mighty  nation  these  eighty  millions  of 
free  Americans,  regardless  of  where  may  have  stood  the  hearthstones 
of  their  fathers.  It  is  this  which  should  banish  the  spirit  of  caste 
among  the  rich  and  powerful  as  well  as  among  those  less  favored  by 
the  smiles  of  fortune.  It  is  this  which  should  prevent  the  rise  of  arro- 
gance and  improper  ambition  in  the  former,  and  check  the  spirit  of 
reckless  discontent  and  anarchy  in  the  latter.  This  is  what  our  Revo- 
lutionary patriots  fought  for  on  the  banks  of  the  Hudson,  and  this  is 

what  all  of  us  are  still  striving  to  enjoy. 

Our  newly  planned  water  works  is,  therefore,  a creation  of  this  sacred 
spirit  of  needed  public  service,  of  manly  brotherhood,  of  true  benevo- 
lence. Why  do  we  freely  spend  these  millions  ? Why  do  we  devote 


Board  of  Water  Supply  of  The  City  of  New  York 


our  energies  to  construct  this  vast  and  costly  system  ? Not  to  immor- 
talize the  names  and  fame  of  its  builders,  as  did  the  Pharaohs  of  the 
Pyramids ! Not  to  make  it  a vain  boast,  as  did  the  creator  of  the 
Labyrinth ! It  was  conceived  not  in  the  spirit  of  pride,  but  in  the 
spirit  of  benevolence.  This  mighty  aqueduct  will  be  fed  by  the  snows 
of  winter  and  by  the  showers  of  summer.  It  will  take  away  from  no 
man  anything  that  is  needful  to  him,  but  it  will  bring  the  purest  and 
the  most  healthful  of  all  drinks  to  myriads  of  our  fellow  citizens  both  in 
the  present  and  the  future.  It  will  bring  to  their  homes  the  means  of 
cleanliness  and  happiness.  It  will  lay  the  dust  of  the  great  city  when 
it  becomes  a menace  to  health.  It  will  be  a safeguard  to  the  house- 
hold goods  of  the  poor  and  to  the  merchandise  of  the  captains  of 
industry,  and  when  fire  threatens  to  lay  in  ashes  and  ruins  our  dwell- 
ings, our  storehouses,  and  our  property  of  every  kind,  the  water  from 
the  four  great  watersheds,  the  Esopus,  the  Schoharie,  the  Rondout,  and 
the  Catskill,  will  restrain  the  destructive  flames  and  quench  the  devour- 
ing element.  Conceived  in  the  spirit  of  peace  and  good  will,  it  will 
bring  comfort  and  happiness  to  thousands  of  families,  and  diffuse  the 
feeling  of  safety  and  protection  in  the  greatest  community  of  the  New 
World. 

Let  us,  therefore,  joyfully  and  confidently  begin  our  labors  so  pregnant 
with  usefulness  and  blessings.  Let  us  watch  with  care  and  sympathy 
the  work  as  it  progresses,  and  when  the  day  comes  that  will  see  its 
completion,  let  us  turn  with  pride  and  pleasure  to  this  memorable  day 
which  saw  its  simple  beginnings.  Let  us  cherish  the  spirit  of  universal 
benevolence  which  is  its  mother ; let  us  foster  the  spirit  of  bold,  manly 
effort  which  must  be  the  means  of  its  achievement.  Let  us  thank  the 
kind  Providence  which,  on  the  heights  of  the  Storm  King  and  in  the 
valleys  of  the  Catskills,  dispenses  the  precious  water  which,  after  bring- 
ing fertility  to  the  farmer,  will  carry  blessings  without  number  to  the 
great  mass  of  humanity  that  work  for  themselves,  for  one  another,  for 
their  fellow  citizens,  and  for  their  beloved  country  in  the  metropolitan 
city  that  is  the  commercial  heart  of  our  Commonwealth. 

God  speed  our  work,  and  may  generation  after  generation,  for  countless 
ages,  bless  this  day  and  the  men  who  did  this  deed. 


[37] 


THOMAS  HASSETT,  Secretary.  J.  WALDO  SMITH,  Chief  Engineer. 

WILLIAM  H.  BURR,  JOHN  R.  FREEMAN,  FREDERIC  P.  STEARNS,  Consulting  Engineers. 


Board  of  Water  Supply  of  The  City  of  New  York 


PRESENTATION  OF  SPADE  BY 

CHARLES  N.  CHADWICK 

Commissioner  of  the  Board  of  Water  Supply 
to 

george  b.  McClellan, 

Mayor  of  The  City  of  New  York 


Mr.  Mayor  : 

Every  great  work  which  is  the  result  of  human  effort  passes 
through  a period  of  agitation  and  discussion  before  crystallizing 
into  action. 

When  the  hour  comes,  History  tells  us  that  the  man  never  fails. 

The  great  question  of  to-day  is  the  solution  of  the  municipal 
problem,  to  be  accomplished  along  business  and  engineering 
lines.  Its  greatest  factor  is  securing  a supply  of  pure  and 
wholesome  water.  When  in  this  matter  the  preliminary  investi- 
gation was  finished  and  the  time  came  to  reduce  knowledge 
and  wisdom  to  practice,  you,  Sir,  were  the  man  and  you 
were  ready.  You  understood  the  problem  and  made  it  a 
business  proposition. 

In  consideration  of  this  fact,  and  in  recognition  of  your  office 
as  Mayor  of  The  City  of  New  York,  it  is  my  privilege,  on 
behalf  of  the  Commissioners  of  the  Board  of  Water  Supply, 
to  present  to  you  this  spade,  that  you  may  turn  the  first  sod 
in  the  construction  of  the  Catskill  Aqueduct. 


[39] 


PRESENTATION  OF  SPADE  BY  COMMISSIONER  CHADWICK. 


Board  of  Water  Supply  of  The  City  of  New  York 


ACCEPTANCE  OF  SPADE 

by  the  Mayor 

george  b.  McClellan 


Gentlemen  of  the  Commission  : 

I thank  you  very  sincerely  for  this  beautiful  spade,  given  me 
in  remembrance  of  the  opening  of  the  new  Catskill  Water 
Supply  System.  I shall  always  keep  it  and  treasure  it  not 
only  as  a reminder  of  to-day,  but  especially  because  of  the 
spirit  and  the  friendship  which  accompany  it. 


Board  of  Water  Supply  of  The  City  of  New  York 


ADDRESS 

delivered  by 

HON.  GEORGE  B.  McCLELLAN 
Mayor  of  The  City  of  New  York 

Ladies  and  Gentlemen  : 

We  have  met  here  for  the  purpose  of  beginning  the  physical  work  on 
the  new  Catskill  Water  Supply  System.  Exactly  two  years  ago  to-day 
the  organization  of  the  engineering  force  was  completed,  and  in  that 
remarkably  short  time,  almost  the  impossible  has  been  accomplished. 
What  has  been  done  in  the  last  twenty-four  months  has  already  been 
told  you,  but  the  preliminary  work  was  equally  important. 

When  I took  office  on  January  1 , 1 904,  I found  myself  confronted 
with  a possible  water  famine,  and  with  nothing  practical  done  for  its 
avoidance.  The  imminence  of  the  peril  was  appreciated  by  the  few 
who  had  studied  the  question,  but  the  public  at  large  did  not  under- 
stand its  seriousness,  nor  was  there  any  public  sentiment  in  favor  of  its 
speedy  solution.  Some  preliminary  work  had  been  done,  and  done 
well,  but  that  was  all.  My  administration  found  it  necessary  to  do  three 
things  before  a new  water  supply  system  could  be  actually  undertaken. 
First,  it  was  necessary  to  provide  an  additional  borrowing  capacity  to 
meet  the  expenses  of  the  undertaking,  by  means  of  a constitutional 
amendment  which  had  passed  the  Legislature  but  had  not  been  submitted 
to  the  people.  Second,  it  was  necessary  to  enact  legislation  so  as  to 
make  the  powers  of  the  local  authorities  certain.  And  third,  and  most 
important,  it  was  necessary  to  arouse  public  opinion  so  that  the  first  two 
obstacles  could  be  removed.  When  public  opinion  was  once  aroused, 
the  rest  was  easy.  I do  not  believe  that  it  would  have  been  possible 
for  me  to  have  accomplished  anything  but  for  the  constant  and  unswerving 
loyalty  and  help  of  those  about  me,  especially  of  my  office  staff,  of  the 
present  Water  Commissioner,  of  the  force  of  the  Corporation  Counsel’s 
office,  and  of  the  then  chief  engineer  of  the  Aqueduct  Board.  Nor 
could  we  have  aroused  public  opinion  without  the  help  of  the  public- 
spirited  civic  organizations,  first  and  foremost  among  which  was  the 
Manufacturers’  Association  of  Brooklyn,  under  the  insistent,  consistent 
and  persistent  direction  of  our  Commissioner,  Mr.  Chadwick. 


Board  of  Water  Supply  of  The  City  of  New  Tork 


Public  spirit  aroused,  the  Constitution  amended,  and  the  necessary 
legislation  enacted,  1 was  fortunate  enough  to  obtain  the  services  of  the 
present  Commission.  As  has  been  told  you,  because  of  a pledge  1 
had  given,  my  selection  was  limited  to  nine  names,  submitted  by  the 
Chamber  of  Commerce,  the  Board  of  Fire  Underwriters,  and  the 
Manufacturers’  Association.  But  had  my  choice  been  unlimited  I could 
not  have  done  better  than  I did  in  obtaining  Mr.  Simmons,  Mr.  Shaw 
and  Mr.  Chadwick.  May  they  continue  to  administer  their  trust  earnestly 
and  efficiently,  with  an  eye  single  to  the  public  welfare.  They  in  their 
turn  have  shown  great  wisdom  and  have  been  most  successful  in  their 
subordinates,  in  the  secretary  of  the  Board,  Mr.  Hassett,  in  their 
consulting  engineers,  and  finally  in  their  chief  engineer,  Mr.  J.  Waldo  Smith. 
Mr.  Smith  has  been  more  closely  identified  with  this  work  than  anyone 
who  has  been  with  me  from  the  beginning.  In  season  and  out  of 
season  he  has  stood  by  me  and  with  me  from  start  to  finish.  His 
professional  equipment  and  his  executive  ability  make  him  the  man  of 
all  others  to  direct  this  vast  work,  the  most  important  ever  undertaken 
in  this  country,  and  one  of  the  most  important  in  the  history  of  the 
world. 

But  those  who  have  directed  and  are  directing  this  great  enterprise  need 
no  praise  nor  thanks  of  mine.  What  they  have  accomplished  is  sufficient 
proof  of  their  ability  and  of  their  devotion  to  the  public  service;  what 
they  have  done  and  are  doing  is  of  itself  sufficient  reward. 

Let  me  speak  for  a moment,  not  about  those  who  lead,  but  about  those 
who  are  led ; not  about  those  who  command,  but  about  the  men  who 
are  doing  the  actual  physical  work;  not  about  the  commissioners  or  the 
chief  engineers,  but  about  the  men  with  the  theodolites  on  their  shoulders, 
the  men  with  the  picks  and  the  shovels  in  their  hands,  the  men  who 
carry  the  hods. 

Statesmen  may  change  the  map  of  the  world,  but  without  the  men 
under  them,  the  men  who  work  for  them  and  with  them,  try  as  they 
may  they  are  incapable  of  changing  the  surface  of  the  earth. 

The  course  of  human  events  is  not  permanently  altered  by  the  great 
deeds  of  history  nor  by  the  great  men,  but  by  the  small  daily  doings 
of  the  little  men.  It  was  not  the  stern  and  silent  commander  of 
Waterloo,  but  the  men  who  stood  unmoved  in  the  unbreakable  squares, 
drawn  from  the  highways  and  the  byways,  from  the  fields  and  from  the 
towns  of  England — who  revolutionized  the  history  of  the  world. 


[43] 


mayor  McClellan  delivering  his  address. 


Board  of  Water  Supply  of  The  City  of  New  York 


No  more  pernicious  aphorism  ever  consoled  the  disappointed  or  the  broken 
heart  than  that  which  declares  that  “ it  does  not  matter,  it  will  be  all 
the  same  in  a hundred  years.” 

It  will  not  be  all  the  same. 

Throw  a pebble  into  the  Hudson.  It  makes  its  little  splash,  and  as  the 

rings  grow  wider  and  finally  disappear  out  of  sight  they  disappear  out 

of  mind,  and  yet  as  they  reach  the  shore  they  have  their  direct  effect 
upon  the  banks  and  upon  the  course  of  that  mighty  river  as  it  rolls 

unceasingly  to  the  sea.  Every  word  we  utter,  every  act  we  do,  has  its 

direct  bearing  on  the  future  of  our  race.  I am  one  of  those  who 

believe  that  as  time  goes  on  the  world  grows  better,  and  that  as  man 
was  made  in  the  image  of  God,  so  he  who  believes  in  the  Almighty 
must  have  faith  in  mankind.  Every  idle  thought,  every  thoughtless 
deed,  spoken  or  done  by  the  least  of  us,  retards ; every  word  spoken 
in  righteousness,  every  deed  performed  with  a right  good-will,  tends 
toward  the  progress  of  humanity.  Nations  grow  powerful  and  strong, 
and  lead  the  world,  or  weak  and  decadent,  and  disappear  as  the 

human  atoms  which  compose  them  succeed  or  fail  in  doing  their  duty. 

We  live  in  an  age  of  sensationalism.  We  tend  to  the  worship  of 
success  as  the  only  true  God,  and  yet  for  every  man  who  succeeds  in 

the  world’s  eyes  a million  fail,  and  if  success  in  the  worldly  sense  is  all 

that  is  worth  living  for,  then  is  the  price  of  life  too  heavy  a price  to 
pay.  The  praise  of  the  world  is  fitful  and  uncertain.  A man  who  is 
praised  to-day,  through  no  fault  of  his  may  be  condemned  to-morrow. 
A man  who  was  condemned  yesterday,  equally  without  reason,  may  be 
the  popular  idol  of  to-day. 

There  is  a success  that  far  transcends  in  worth  that  of  being  able  to 
raise  oneself  a little  higher  than  one’s  fellows,  and  that  is  the  success  of 
the  consciousness  of  having  done  one’s  best,  the  success  which  comes 
from  doing  one’s  duty  as  one  finds  it,  according  to  the  grace  and  the 
light  and  the  opportunity  that  is  given  one,  regardless  of  what  the 
world  may  say. 

We  speak  constantly  of  the  pride  of  profession,  but  all  too  little  of  the 
pride  of  trade.  In  exalting  the  purely  intellectual  occupations,  we  often 
depreciate  the  handicrafts.  It  is  true  that  machinery  has  largely  taken 
the  place  of  manual  labor,  and  yet,  at  the  last  analysis,  as  much  depends 


Board  of  Water  Supply  of  The  City  of  New  York 


as  ever  upon  the  man  who  labors  with  his  hands,  controlled  and  guided 
by  an  active  brain.  The  glory  of  the  middle  ages,  its  cathedrals,  differ 
from  each  other  not  only  in  accordance  with  the  genius  of  their  archi- 
tects, but  even  more  in  accordance  with  the  spirit  of  their  artisans. 
How  many  of  you  who  have  wondered  whose  was  the  brain  that 
designed  the  cathedral  at  Reims,  or  Amiens,  have  given  a thought  to 
the  men  who  worked  under  him?  Yet  so  much  depended  upon  them, 
and  if  what  they  wrought  is  beautiful,  it  is  that  they  labored  not  only 
because  they  had  to,  but  that  their  hearts  were  in  their  work ; and  so 
even  with  the  humblest  the  artisan  became  the  artist. 

If  this  great  work  of  ours  is  to  accomplish  the  purpose  for  which  it  is 
intended,  it  can  only  succeed  because  the  men  in  the  ranks  have  done 
their  duty  for  duty’s  sake,  have  done  their  best  because  it  is  their  best. 

As  the  years  merge  in  the  decades,  and  the  decades  in  the  centuries  ; 
when  Time  has  thrown  his  kindly  veil  over  the  bickerings  and  the 
differences  and  the  quarrels  which  seem  so  much  to  us  and  are,  after 
all,  so  futile  and  so  petty  ; when  friend  and  enemy,  traducer  and 
traduced,  hero  and  admirer,  have  passed  away;  when  you  and  I,  and 
all  of  us  who  are  sitting  here  now  have  gone  to  our  long  rest,  and  our 
very  names  shall  have  been  forgotten  ; when  this  great  work,  conceived 
in  honesty,  begun  in  honesty,  and,  God  willing,  completed  in  honesty, 
shall  be  ministering  to  the  health  and  the  happiness  of  millions  yet  to  come, 
then  God  grant  that  those  who  shall  see  it  in  the  distant  years  may 
say — it  does  not  matter  how  they  were  called  who  did  this  thing,  or 
who  they  were,  or  what  they  were ; it  is  enough  to  know  that  they 
did  their  duty. 


Board  of  W ater  Supply  of  The  City  of  New  Tork 


Benediction  Prayer. 

VICAR-GENERAL  M.  J.  LAVELLE. 


* 

Father  of  Mercies,  from  whom  all  blessings  flow,  look  down  with 
gracious  eye  upon  this  work  begun  to-day  in  Thy  Holy  Name ! Grant 
that  the  construction  of  this  aqueduct  may  be  free  from  accident, 
scandal  and  greed ! May  its  pure  waters  promote  health,  cleanliness 
and  that  beautiful  virtue  of  temperance,  which  lies  so  close  to  the  roots 
of  all  true  prosperity,  physical  and  spiritual!  Bless  the  officials  of  our 
City  who  conceived  and  authorized  the  work,  the  architects  who 
designed,  the  Commissioners,  the  engineers  and  the  workmen  who 
will  bring  it  to  successful  completion!  And  even  as  Thou  had 
granted  us  the  grace  to  undertake  the  largest  work  that  has  ever 
been  planned  to  satisfy  mankind’s  greatest  need,  vouchsafe  to  us,  also, 
the  grace  of  the  deepest  love  of  our  fellow  man  and  the  greatest 
nobility  in  promoting  Thy  sacred  honor  and  glory.  Through  Jesus 
Christ,  our  Lord.  In  the  name  of  the  Father,  and  of  the  Son,  and 
of  the  Holy  Ghost.  Amen. 


Board  of  Water  Supply  of  "The  City  of  New  York 


Extract  from  the  minutes  of  the  meeting 
of  the  Board  of  Water  Supply  of 
The  City  of  New  York  held 
on  June  26,  1 907. 


The  Commissioners  of  the  Board  of  Water  Supply  desire  to 
congratulate  the  entire  organization,  both  administrative  and 
engineering,  upon  the  successful  carrying  out  of  the  plans  for 
the  Opening  Exercises  of  the  Catskill  Aqueduct,  at  Indian 
brook,  on  Thursday,  June  20,  1907,  and  to  express  their 
grateful  appreciation  of  the  efforts  of  the  entire  force,  which 
contributed  so  largely  to  the  success  of  the  ceremonies.  The 
willingness  of  everyone  to  assist,  in  spite  of  the  fact  that 
many  could  not  be  present  at  the  ceremonies,  emphasizes  the 
fine  spirit  of  self-sacrifice  which  has  characterized  the  entire 
organization  since  its  inception  and  makes  it  possible  to  accom- 
plish the  results  of  which  the  Commissioners  are  justly  proud, 
and  they  consider  it  an  honor  to  be  associated  with  such  a 
body.  In  recognition  of  this,  it  is 

RESOLVED,  That  the  above  minute  be  spread  upon  the 
records  of  the  Board  of  Water  Supply  and  a copy  be  sent 
to  each  member  of  the  entire  organization. 

J.  Edward  Simmons 
Charles  N.  Chadwick 
Charles  A.  Shaw 

Commissioners . 

ylttest  : 

Thomas  Hassett, 

Secretary. 


